Learning to Mush!

We certainly would have been heartbroken if the stormy weather would have caused us to miss this adventure!  This was one of the more expensive activities on our trip.....but it was the one thing we both really wanted to do while in Alaska.  Not only were we meeting the team of huskies high atop the Herbert Glacier....but this would also be our first experience flying in a helicopter.

(Nick....check out Jenesa's goggles!)

Jenesa and I both bundled up in weatherproof clothes and strapped on glacier boots (extra traction) before boarding the helicopter.  Our pilot was a good-lookin' 25 year old.....and Jenesa did not hesitate to tell him he was an ideal candidate for the TV show The Bachelor.  Good grief!  It was a quick (scenic) flight to the glacier and, luckily, the storm seemed to clear up as we got closer and closer to the summit where the husky dog camp sat.  We didn't even SEE the dog camp until we almost touched down on the glacier....because it was required by law to be camouflaged (white on white) on top of the glacier.

We were introduced to our dog sled team.....and learned that the fastest dogs are placed in the front and the strongest dogs are placed in the middle-back towards the sled.  Do not confuse these Alaskan huskies with Siberian huskies.  These dogs are no bigger than your average dog (think of Gus, Chloe or Gracie!).  All of these dogs are named by themes (Batman & Robin, Salt & Pepper, Sonny & Cher).

Our sledding guide was actually the owner of this camp, and allowed us to view his living quarters.  Each tent is stocked with a two week supply of food and heated using a Mr. Buddy gas heater.

It doesn't take a professional athlete to be a dog musher....even Jenesa could do it (haha)!  You just hold on for dear life, use the sled brake to keep the harness taught with the sled, and enjoy the ride!  A musher uses commands to guide the dogs - "gee" for a right turn and "haa" for a left turn.  Luckily, these dogs knew where they were going!  They wound up pulling us two miles around the glacier....

The next time you come to Alaska.....you MUST experience the thrill of dog sledding on a glacier!  And, getting the chance to hold a huskie puppy is highly recommended too!  :)

After two hours on the glacier with the huskies....it was time to leave!  It kinda felt like Santa Claus leaving the North Pole on his sleigh.....ho! ho! ho!

One last view of the glacier as we ascended on our way back to Juneau!  The sheer weight of a thick layer of ice, or the force of gravity on the ice mass, causes glaciers to flow very slowly....which also causes rock sediment from the mountainside underneath to appear down the slope of the glacier.  Goodbye, Herbert Glacier!